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,G.i& P, DUN-HAM. APIARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN OIL TANKS. No; 290,010. kat'ented Dec. 11, 1883.

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APPARATUS-FOR EXTINGUI$HING PIRE IN OIL 'TANKS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1883.

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, Un tas STATES PATENT OFFIC GEORGE DUNHAM AND FRANK HATCH DUNHAM, or OLEAN, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,010, dated December 11, 1883.

" Application filed January 30, 1853. (No model l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE DUNHAM and FRANK H. DUNHAM, of Olean, in the county of Gattaraugus and State of New York, have invented anew and'lrnproved Apparatus for Extinguishing Fires in Oil-Tanks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view of our improvement. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a side elevation of the same, partly in section through the line 00 a), Fig. 1.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the extinguishing of fires in oil-tanks.

The invention consists in an apparatus for extinguishing fires in oil-tanks, constructed with two pairs of pivoted bars having a sheet of asbestus cloth attached at their upper ends,

connected at their lower ends by cords, and provided with gear-wheels and a sliding rackbar, connected with the piston-rod of a cylinder provided with adischar'ge pipe and one or more fire-annihilators, whereby a non-coinbustible gas can be discharged into the top of a burning oil-tank and the said top covered with asbestus cloth, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A represents an ordinary oil-tank, at a suitable distance from which is placed a platform, B. To the ends of the platform B are attached two standards, 0, the upper ends of which are connected by a cross-bar, D, and which are strengthened in position by braces E.

In hearings in the upper parts of the standards O revolves a shaft, F, to the projecting ends of the journals of which are attached two bars, G, at a little distance from their lower ends.

To the lower ends of the bars G are attached, or upon them are formed, two grooved wheels, H, to which are attached the ends of two cords, I. The cordslpass around guidepulleys J, and their other ends pass around and are attached to grooved wheels K, made smaller than the wheels H, and attached to or formed upon the lower ends of two bars, L, which are pivoted at a less distance from their lower ends than the bars G to supports M,

placed at the opposite sides of the forward part of the tank A.

To the upper ends of the inwardly-inclined upper parts of the bars L, or to the'upper ends of inwardly-inclined bars attached to the said bars L, is attached a crossbar, N, of a length a little less than the diameter of the oil-tank A, and to which is attached the edge of a sheet, 0, of asbestus cloth, the said sheet being made larger than the top of the oiltank A. Then the bars G L are swung back away from the tank A, the asbestus cloth 0 is folded into a rack, I, attached to the bars G, as shown in Fig. 2. \Vith this construction, when the bars G are swung forward toward thetan'k A, the cords I will swing the bars L forward at the same time, and the difference in size of the wheels H K, the difference in position of the pivoting-points of the bars G L, and the difference in length of the said bars will cause the upper ends of the bars L to move faster and farther than the upper ends of the bars G, so that the asbestus cloth 0 will be drawn from the rack P and lowered gently and evenly upon the top of the tank A.

To the middle part of the shaft F is attached a gear-wheel, Q, the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the smaller gear-wheel R, attached to the shaft S. The shaft S is journaled to the standards 0 below and parallel with the shaft F. The teeth of the gear wheel R mesh into the teeth of the rack-bar T, which slides in a groove, U, or other guide-bearing formed in or attached to the platform B.

' To the outer end of the rack T is attached the'end of the piston-rod V, the piston W of which works in a cylinder, With an aperture in the side of the cylinder X, near its forward end, is connected the end of a pipe, Y, which passes to the tank A, up the side of the said tank, and its upper end is bent into and which should be of such a character that their combustion will produce an incombustible gas heavier than air; or the cylinders can be constructed in the manner of ordinary fireannihilators with an alkali and an acid coneontained in a glass or other suitable vessel, to be broken or overturned by a mechanism operating through the apertures b, but which is not shown in the drawings, as there is nothing new in such construction. XVith this construction, when a fire occurs in an oil-tank,

the chemicals in one of the cylinders care ignited or the chemicals mixed, and the gases thus developed pass into the cylinder X and force the piston \V forward, and then pass through pipe Y into the upper part of the tank, where they spread over the surface of the oil and put out the fire. At the same time the forward movement of the piston \V moves the rack T forward, which turns the gearwhcels R Q and swings the bars G L forward, spreading the asbestus cloth 0 over the top of the tank to aid in extinguishing the fire in the tank-cover and guard against the rekindling of the fire.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus for extinguishing fires in oil-tanks, constructed substantially as herein shown and described, and consisting of the following elements, viz: one or more fire-anuihilators for generating nou-inflannnable gases, a cylinder having a piston operated by the said gas, a mechanism operated by the cylinderpiston for spreading a cloth over the tank, and apipe for conducting the gas into the tank, as set forth.

2. In a fire-extinguisher, the combination, with one or more fire-annihilators, of arms earrying a cloth and adapted to be operated by said annihilators, and intermediate mechanoil-tanks, the combination, with the actdated rack-bar T and gearing Q, R, of two pairs of pivoted bars, G L, provided at their upper ends with a folded sheet, 0, of asbestus cloth, and connected at their lower ends by cords I, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said sheet of cloth can be spread over the tank automatically, as set forth.

5. In a fire-extinguisher, the combination of one or more fire-annihilators with a cylinder audits piston with its piston-rod provided with a rack, levers or arms connected together by a rope or other suitable means passed around pulleys of said levers or arms and around intermediate pulleys, said levers or arms being adapted to move one faster and farther than the other and carrying a cloth, and gear-wheels transmitting motion from the rack of the piston-rod to the said levers or arms, substantial] y as specified.

GEORGE DUNI-IAM.

FRANK HATOH DUNHAM. \Vitnesses to signature of George Dunham:

C. H. MoR'roN, N. H. BUFFINGTON.

\Vitnesses to signature of Frank H. Dunham:

J. E. EGGLESTON, D. E. MOLAUGHLIN. 

